Stop The Presses!

I have it on good authority that September will be a great month to be alive in Montréal, as we're going to be visited by Detroit Grand Pubahs, John Dahlbäck & Miss Kittin!

Start saving for these three great nights of fun!

Also: French superstar DJ David Guetta, who will be headlining the Bal en Blanc, will also be appearing at Parking on Monday the 17th for the Bal's after party along with several other DJs. The after party takes place from noon 'til 3am.

Night Vision 1.06

(Co-written with Clifford Brown)

Those of you who were at the Glimmers last Thursday night at SAT might now feel as if the legendary "brothers" have not lived up to their reputation. I was sure puzzled to hear a set I'd have expected from a local part of the "Neon Mafia", comprising of the same set of songs we're used to hear at every electro evening in town. Yes, we heard much of the "Neon top 20" and the Glimmers stayed away from the funky disco-dub their latest mixes have been featuring. I apparently was too drunk to remember that they played "House of Jealous Lovers" in its original version (thanks Seez) but that says a lot about their performance. Maybe some other time ?

Until then, let's see what else has been happening around town lately...

News En Vrac
Well, Stereo didn't win the prize for "Best Sound System" at last Friday's Club World Awards. The event presented by Club Systems magazine took place during Miami's Winter Music Conference. It looks like Stereo's owners have decided to head in a different direction with their sound system and their "award-winning" engineer Shorty resigned as a result. He'll be removing all his custom boxes from the club and replacing them with stock equipment. How this will affect our appreciation of Montréal's "Temple of Sound" remains to be seen… or heard.

In other nightly news…

The big electro night slated for Sunday April 16th just got a little bit better: it looks like Romeo Kardec will be opening for New York's Tommie Sunshine at Stereo, adding yet another excellent DJ to an already stellar line-up. The evening's celebration will begin with No Excuse at Ballroom with DJ Unknown (also from NYC), Bender & Sean Kosa. Those who attend No Excuse can expect to be offered a reduced entry fee for Stereo. Advanced ticket for Balroom will be available at Moog Audio tonight, for $10.

A partial list of Mutek's 2006 programming has been revealed to the public thru the festival's website. Among this first batch of confirmed guests: Alex Under, Audio Werner, Clark, Dandy Jack, Dimbiman, Jackson & His Computer Band, Jan Jelinek, Henrik Schwartz, Marc Leclair (Akufen), Modeselektor, Noze, Pierre Bastien, Ryoichi Kurokawa, Sonja Moonear, Stephen Beaupré, TBA & Thomas Brinkmann.

We've also managed to dig out a few dates for you (see the "Later On" section) as well as this little "exclusive": Guido Schneider should also be in town for Mutek on June 2nd.

Also – It looks like The Juan Maclean and MSTRKRFT will visit us once more the Festival de Jazz on July 8, a day after Jamie Lidell re-scheduled appearance.

So? What's going on this week you wonder…


Friday 31/03
Éloi Brunelle launches his new mixed album "5", in honor of his Epsilonlab label's fifth anniversary.


This local tech-house institution, also a net-label - which means that you can download some of their MP3 releases for free on their website (epsilonlab.com) - is becoming a landmark in the city's sounds, with frequent collabs with Germany's like-minded Thinner and explosive events all around. This new mix was compiled & arranged by François LeBaron, who did a similar good job with Hakan Libdo's material when he released "Fishing in Deep Area". The party features Éloi and François, as well as tech-head Paul Keeley, best known for his trippy releases on Thinner, who'll be live. 12$ gets you in, 25$ gets you in + the CD.

The Saboteur Bal proposes Killthelights, Frivolous, The Mole, Leo Cruz & Iamdjsylvie @ the Sala Rossa, for an evening of Saboteur sounds and creepy costumed patrons probably way too old for prom night. 10$.

The 20th "Soirée Risquée" sees Chic Miniature, Stephen Beaupré, Vincent Lemieux & Akufen bring down the house @ Café Délima (6409 St-Hubert), a location I have yet to visit. For some weirded-out experimental micro-house and overblown funk, be there or be square. 7$.

On the after hours front, New York's John Creamer will be deejaying at Circus, with Nicola Torriero and Joubin. Creamer is also scheduled to make an appearance at Taro Sushi Palace earlier in the night!

Local DJs King Louis & Kal will provide good vibes to Aria's crowd, likely throwing a good dose of electro at them in the process.


Saturday 01/04
You'll be glad to learn that Voyeur is back with a third edition @ Societe des Arts Technologiques. It will feature solely locals : Jordan Dare, of course, will bring down the house with his ever dirty sounds; his pal & partner in crime Bliss will do the same, in his old-fashioned funky way, and they'll have Mateo Murphy as a guest.


Murphy was at Eresys.net's party last Saturday at Salle Belle-Gueule, and we're glad to report he's starting to show his face again. After a creative break to change his sound, he'll show you what he's capable of and we'll see the results on the SAT's dancefloor. Let's just hope the lightning guy doesn't drink too much this time around, so we can locate our friends in the place, if we have any left... 10$ at the door.

Roger Sanchez will invade the Medley and play a six hours set for 30-40$. This is a surprise visit that you can't spit on; the guy's a legend of its own. His album FIRST RELEASE was very well received and his Toto-sampled "Another Chance" was a massive hit in Ibiza, Laval & my car a couple of years ago, so if you like your house dipped in some cheese & latin rythms, Sanchez is your type of guy.

If you're the kind of person who wakes up a 3am, check out Creator & Maus at Aria, but be aware of their new pricing scheme: $15 for guys, $5 for the ladies.


Sunday 02/04
The usual No Excuse rocks Balroom with Bender & Kosa.


Robert Owens, the house legend that refuses to die, will be DJ'ing at Parking's Perfect Sundays. The guy knows what the shit is all the time, and his collabs with Photek a couple of years ago prove it. He recently teamed up with Systematic's Marc Romboy for two songs on GEMINI, and if we feel lucky he'll play them ! Don't worry about the guy, he's nice as ice and he'll be your friend... 5-8$ at the door, depending on Patrick Dream's mood.


Next Week
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are in town to promote their latest, Show Your Bones. 25$ in advance, at Metropolis. The Piknic team takes it to Tremblant on the 9th, during the afternoon, with Motus 3F and their "Electronik Bingo", and Frivolous & Éloi Brunelle spinning afterwards. Don't dress too much as you will most definitly sweat.


Later On

April:
13 - Frankie Knuckles @ Unity II (Bal En Blanc)
13 – Jordan Dare @ Parking (Overdose)
14 – Sean Kosa, Bender & Philgood @ Stereo
15 – A Touch of Class & Jordan Dare @ La SAT (I Love Neon)
15 – The Sounds @ Théâtre National
16 – DJ Unknown, Bender & Kosa @ Balroom (No Excuse combo)
16 – Tommie Sunshine & Romeo Kardec @ Stereo (No Excuse)
17 - David Guetta (Bal Afterparty) @ Parking (Bal en Blanc)
19 – Ladytron @ Club Soda
22 – Sander Kleinenberg @ Stereo
27 – Laurent Garnier & Mini @ Parking (Overdose)
28 – Quattrophonic 7 @ Stereo
29 – Cabane à Sucre Electronik
29 – Mini, G O'Brien, X-Cube & Axel Klein @ Velvet


May:
06 – Tiga & Thomas Von Party @ La SAT (I Love Neon)
09 – Pink Mountaintops @ Sala Rossa
12 – MSTRKRFT @ La SAT (Voyeur)
17 – Depeche Mode @ Centre Bell
19 – Architecture In Helsinki @ Sala Rossa
19 – Electro-Chic 7 @ La SAT
20 – Headman @ ? (I Love Neon)
28 – Piknic Electronik
31 – Modeselektor (Live) (Mutek)


June:
01 – Alex Under (Mutek)
02 – Guido Schneider (Mutek)
23 – Blondie & The (New) Cars @ Centre Bell
29 – The Hacker @ Parking (Overdose)


July
07 – Jamie Lidell @ Club Soda (Festival de Jazz)
08 – The Juan Maclean & MSTRKRFT @ Club Soda (Jazz)


September
15 - John Dahlbäck & Jeff Grosse (DiskHo)
21 - Miss Kittin @ Parking (Overdose)
22 - Detroit Grand Pubahs @ Cabaret Music-Hall

Until next week: Keep the fire burnin' !

Lindstrom Feels Spaced by his Remixers

Hans Petter Lindstrom has exploded all over the earth in million little pieces of love that have been falling in some households and the space disco virus has been spread ever since. His success is mainly due to a track called I FEEL SPACE, put out on Playhouse in 2005, just prior to the release of the album "Lindstrom & Prins Thomas", a frozen masterpiece of surreal and dreamy downtempo and slow, deepening space disco.


Playhouse has just released a 12" with two new remixes of I FEEL SPACE, and I am pretty sure it will be a landmark in Lindstrom's carreer.

In the electro realm, there are some tracks that are best known for their remixes. Who remembers Spektrum's "Kinda New" before it was remixed by Tiefschwarz ? Who still listens to Mylo's original version of MUSCLE CAR ? When Freeform Five remixed that one, they added some vocals and their distinctive organic touch, and made it THEIR version, and it is now the one most widely remembered.

So a remix can be better than the original, of course. Especially when it's Freeform Five on duty. They did it with N.E.R.D.'s "Lapdance", and they did it with Lindstrom's classic.

Split in two parts (a recent trend among remixers, as seen with Ewan Pearson's remix of Goldfrapp's "Ride a White Horse") over about 12 minutes, the original song's spirit is kept, and even amplified. Some luscious guitar arrangements are added, as well as a grinding analog bassline of a complexity that equals only its beauty. Some whispery vocals are thrown on top of that for good measure, and it blends in quite well with the rest, creating an ever-lasting sensation that even 12 minutes of this... is not enough !

I'm not saying that the remix will surpass the original version, but it is a very fine one indeed.

...as for Tiefschwarz & Turntablerockers's re-edit, on the flipside, I wouldn't want to dismiss it as just a re-edit... but let's say it's basically what it is. Compared to FFF's impressive take on the A side, it pales a lot. Tiefschwarz have been losing a lot of their appeal, lately, and their remixes have stopped sounding "contemporary" to be a strange caricature of what they once were. They aren't renewing their sound at all, and it affects the timelessness of their work for sure.


Don't you think that Lindstrom, in this picture, looks like Billy from Six Feet Under ?! So... I heard via diverse voices (not all of them in my head) that the guy needed money these days. He might prepare his space craft to get the hell out of the planet, but we don't need to know that. Just help a brother out and buy some of his stuff !

Pet Shop Boys Go Minimal…

What?


Just kidding, but they have a song called "Minimal" on their upcoming album, Fundamental, which is scheduled for release on may 22nd.

Their next single, titled "I'm With Stupid", comes out on May 8.

It supposedly offers virulent criticism over Mr. Blair's involvement with Mr. Bush, going so far as to asks the question "Why would I be with someone who's obviously so dumb?" How risqué, and oh so very romantic: "Is stupid really stupid or are you really smart? That's how you stole my heart."

What were you expecting? We're talking about the Pet Shop Boys here, NOT The Dead Kennedys!

Although the Boys' publicists might've revamped their strategy for 2006, Neil & Chris' music sure hasn't changed and bit, and let's be frank: that why we love them Pet Shop Boys.


Anyway, here's the track list of their new album:

Psychological, The Sodom And Gomorrah Show, I Made My Excuses And Left, Minimal, Numb, God Willing, Luna Park, I'm With Stupid, Casanova In Hell, Twentieth Century, Indefinite Leave To Remain, Integral

Not really interesting, right? What am I doing posting a track list, you wonder? Well, the "why" cleverly uses the moniker "Disc 2":

Fugitive (Richard X Extended Mix), Sodom (Trentemoller Mix), Psychological (Alter Ego Remix), Flamboyant (Michael Mayer Mix), Minimal (Tiga Remix), I'm With Stupid (Melnyk Heavy Petting Mix), Gomorrah (Dettinger Remix), In Private (Stuart Crichton Club Mix)

It's so silly I've gone and got meself all excited.

Vromb: 10 Ans Après Le Facteur Humain

Que dire sur Vromb, alias Hugo Girard? Cet artiste électro-minimaliste Montréalais pourtant bien connu à l'extérieur du pays demeure un mystère pour bien des gens de la métropole, ce qui n'est pas sans ajouter au charme de ses énigmatiques ambiances sonores expérimentales tirant souvent sur le noise.


Il y a déjà 10 ans paraissait l'album Le Facteur Humain, une œuvre qui m'avait fortement marquée à l'époque. J'étais incapable de cesser d'écouter ce disque, et par conséquent il m'a fait faire bien des cauchemars, ses ambiances paranoïaques maladives m'accompagnant souvent jusqu'au sommeil, contribuant sans doute à finaliser le court-circuitage de mon cerveau.

Malgré que je n'aie pas eu l'occasion de continuer à suivre de près les épisodes musicaux qui composent les aventures d'Hugo Girard, il m'apparaît tout à fait approprié de prendre le temps de republier quelques extraits de l'entrevue que j'ai réalisé avec lui en 2000, afin de souligner son spectacle d'aujourd'hui présenté à La SAT dans le cadre de la troisième édition du festival COMA.

Il s'agit d'un des mes textes préférés tirés des années que j'ai passé à travailler sur Kortex, notre ancien zine traitant d'électro/EBM/industriel/expérimental, qui sévissait sur le web franco au tournant du millénaire. Il avait aussi été publié en partie chez Surreal Sounds, zine Belge aussi porté disparu.


KX: Comment décrirais-tu Vromb aux gens qui ne connaissent pas ta musique et qui vont lire cette entrevue?

HG:
Vromb c'est de la musique tantôt atmosphérique tantôt rythmique et parfois les deux faite avec une sonorité électronique expérimentale. C'est une trame sonore pour un film qui se passe dans la tête de l'auditeur. Vromb c'est un film sonore.


KX: Qu'est-ce qui t'a amené à faire de la musique et plus particulièrement de la musique électronique?

HG:
J'aime beaucoup la musique et j'en écoutais beaucoup et je me suis mis à penser que j'étais peut-être capable d'en faire. Ce qui était intéressant de la musique underground, c'est que c'était beaucoup plus facile d'avoir un produit fini fait à la maison qu'avec la musique commerciale. On se rendait compte qu'on avait peut-être les moyens d'essayer et on faisait des tests pour voir ce que ça allait donner. Mes amis me quittaient l'un après l'autre et donc tranquillement je les ai remplacés par des machines.

C'est en écoutant la musique alternative des années 80 que j'ai commencé à m'intéresser à la musique expérimentale. À l'époque, j'achetais à peu près tous mes disques au Bunker et plus tard à L'Oblique. Robert du Bunker était un grand fan de musique électronique, expérimentale, noise, industrielle, etc. Nous étions plus jeunes et nous écoutions surtout des trucs comme Sisters of Mercy, Joy Division, Conflict et CRASS. Lui c'était SPK, Blackhouse, Laïbach, etc. Nous entendions ce qu'il écoutait dans le magasin et il nous poussait à essayer de nouvelles choses. Vromb existe donc en partie grâce à Robert du Bunker qui m'a amené à écouter ces musiques là et à délaisser autres choses. C'est lui aussi qui m'a produit la première fois sur disque compact sur la compilation Adolphe Présente, sortie en 92.


KX: Est-ce que tu dirais que tu essaies de passer un message en particulier avec Vromb?

HG:
J'essaie de passer de la musique. Mon premier album, Jeux de Terre, jetais un regard direct sur les résultats de tout ce que l'être humain fait de nuisible sur la planète. J'ai choisi comme perspective celle des insectes et je tentais de faire voyager l'auditeur à travers ce monde minuscule et bien organisé qui regardait le gigantisme de l'humanité. Par contre, je ne dirais pas qu'il y ait une morale véhiculée par cet album. Je ne crois pas que personne ne soit placé pour faire la morale à quelqu'un d'autre.

Pour mon deuxième album, Le Facteur Humain, il y a une idée de base : les expériences d'un homme dans les années 50 qui tentait d'amplifier certaines zones du cerveau. Le titre en fait signifiait seulement que je ramenais l'élément humain dans ma musique pour la première fois et ce à travers la voix du professeur Gaudot. En fait, le titre a autant rapport avec ma méthode de travail qu'avec les expériences du professeur Gaudot. Les pièces les moins humaines sont celles intitulées Le Facteur Humain. Ces pièces à la base tournent toutes seules et ma part se résume à une petite chose qui fait toute la différence. D'un côté, on a Gaudot avec son expérience et de l'autre, on a l'homme qui tente de rendre ses synthétiseurs vivants tout en sachant qu'ils ne le seront jamais. Lui, par contre, il l'est et c'est ça qui fait la différence.


En conclusion, Hugo Girard ajoute:

HG:
Des fois on est pas bien placé pour parler de ses propres trucs ou en fait pour les décrire. J'espère juste que la manière dont je parle de mes choses n'est pas perçue comme une forme de prétention. J'espère que les gens vont se rendre compte que je suis un passionné qui espère qu'ils vont être passionnés de sa musique.

Visitez le site web de Vromb et celui de COMA pour en savoir plus!

Europeans invaded Montreal and nobody noticed

Annie used to be the only girl to take it seriously. At Club Lambi on Wednesday March 22nd, she was rather relaxed, appearing in a tank top and jeans, with brown suede fuck me boots and her cute looks. Some bands were opening for her, but we missed all of them, opting instead to put our money where our mouth is and soak it in vodka.

The Arctic Monkeys were in town the same day, making it hard to fill the room for a rather unknown norvegian pop singer on a week night. There were about 30 or 40 attendees, but most of them jumped in front of the stage when the pretty blonde appeared and told us to "please come closer". The Greatest Hit was played early on, as well as Chewing Gum, featuring some guest vocals from a belly potted rockabilly also on duty at the machines (he played keyboards and pressed "start" on the Midi device at the beginning of songs). A drummer with dreads completed the trio.

The crowd was responsive, and it's safe to assume that only fans were in the house. Annie doesn't have a very varied attitude onstage; she either sings in front of the mic or dances at the back of the stage. She threw herself on the stage ground during Me + One but it didn't look very natural. We also heard Heartbeat and The Wedding, but unfortunately not "Happy Without You".



It was an overall fun show, but it didn't last for long and it definitly lacked pace. I still hope to see Annie come back to Montreal with new material in the future, in a perhaps more adequate venue ?

*

On Thursday the 23rd, our favorite belgian duo, the Glimmers, were appearing at SAT alongside local Jordan Dare. The event was called "An intimate evening with the Glimmers", and it sure was !

Mo Becha and David Fouquaert appeared behind the decks at 12:30, after a solid set by Jordan Dare, looking rather scruffy. They have been mixing together for close to 20 years now, so they are no strangers to tag teaming and taking a crowd's pulse. Their mixed CD's are an orgy of ecclectism, and they served us some rather dark sounds, far from the usual madness they're known for. But it still kicked ass, and they even included Tiga's "Move my Body", just because they're nice !



Only half the SAT was opened to dance, which is a decent room, but if you think about it, almost a disappointment : The Glimmers deserve better. So the current trend to be observed in Montreal is this : big names are coming down, but no one's showing up. Do we really deserve our reputation of being a party town ? Are international electro and house artists, when not part of the "mainstream", taking a risk when they're coming here ?



Just think about the Kiko and Savas Pascalidis night thrown by Diskho six months ago. Even with a lack of effective promo, two household names like this should have made more people come to check them out, in ANY reasonable and culturally curious city. What happened ? Minimal house is big around here, of course, and electro as well, but are we so used of seeing our locals that we don't even consider this as being exceptionnal when someone from out of town shows up ? Do all the eventual guests have to go to Parking's Overdose to get some exposure and credibility ? Are there any other venues where DJ's or performers outside of the post-rock or post-punk mold can play ?

These are the questions raised by the two events I attended this week. I personally had a blast, but I'm not sure these artists were impressed by the lack of attendance. If you people want Montreal to stay a priority destination for bands or DJ's passing by, get your sweet asses out of your couches and fuckin' represent !

Night Vision 1.05

(Co-written with Clifford Brown)

Hotchip and Annie during the same week? Things don't get much better than this… or do they? The Glimmers are in town tonight, and it looks like another pretty sweet week-end is coming up. As Blake Baxter would say: "Don't stop now – you can't stop now" (repeat endlessly for 6-8 minutes on high)

But please! Do read on...

News En Vrac
Lee Burridge didn't make it to his Aria gig last Saturday, but apparently DJ Dan rocked the house big time. We won't have to wait too long to hear DJ Dan again in Montréal, as he's scheduled to return at both Parking (30/04) and Aria (24/06) in the next few months. King Louis replaced Burridge and concluded the "evening" past 11 with what I hear was a very solid set.

Other news: April 16th is shaping up to be a great day for electro lovers, so screw the Bal en Blanc and get ready for a double-bill starting at Balroom with the always unpredictable DJ Unknown (NYC) - we don't know who he is because he wears a paper bag over his alien head - and concluding at Stereo with Montréal's favorite bearded weirdo: Tommie Sunshine. Good to have him back so soon after his enjoyable appearance at Voyeur 01 !

For those that read about FFF visiting Montréal on the same day: I am told that this will likely not happen. Let's hope they visit some other time! (Yes, I'm talking about Freeform Five, in case you've been crawling on MySpace)

On the plus side, Neon have just announced an event with Headman, aka Manhead, scheduled for May 20, and Robert Owens will be appearing at Parking for another edition of Perfect Sundays on April 2.

Looks like a couple of exciting months lie up ahead!


Thursday 23/03
If you like music, then check out The Glimmers at La SAT. Jordan Dare, Montréal's number one electro post-punk collaborator, will help them to continue destroying whatever dancefloor we have left. This is a late event, starting at 23h, so don't go knockin' on the SAT's door too early. The Glimmers will probably play an assortment of unpredictable tracks, ranging from odd post-punk to dubbed out disco, electro and funk. House, soul, gospel, weirdness : nothing will be spared. These guys from Ghent, Belgium are there to make you sweat, and they fuckin' will. 15$ @ the door.



Also: Rue with Murdock, Jesse Morris & Mr. Stitch for Mix Thursday at Saphir - this night has been running for a long time and there's a reason. Check out Stitch and his trademark noir electro-house !



Friday 24/03
Besides Fractal's launch at 7240 Clark featuring Vega, The Autist, Omni & many others, nothing special's going on except for Mini's residency at Aria with G O'Brien. Both events last all night long but Fractal's launch is a loft party with just the right amount of glitch to make you scratch other people's backs while tripping out.



Saturday 25/03
Extension 2 with Mateo Murphy! We don't know who these guys are and we sure never heard about the first event they threw, but the flyer is pretty neat and we never say no to Mateo. Electro-house for the masses at Salle Belle Gueule (5585 De la Roche) for the sweet price of $10.



Sunday 26/03
No Excuse regulars Bender & Sean Kosa welcome special guest DJ Vega to Balroom for what is likely to be another entertaining evening.


Monday 27/03
Well, I guess its time for another Death By Ice Cream at Vinyl, with Emmanuelle. Or for a good night's sleep.


Tuesday 28/03
MightyKat performing an extended set at Salon Daome seems quite an interesting (and indecent) proposal.


Wednesday 29/03
Derrick Carter visits Club 1234. MightyKat opens. Carter needs no further intro. Last time he was in town, at Parking's Perfect Sundays, he neatly destroyed the floor. His house is muscular and funky, and there's a reason he's called a legend. What reason ? Check him the fuck out.


Next Week
Eloi Brunelle launches an album at SAT on Friday the 31st , and later during the night John Creamer will be visiting Circus. Voyeur 03 takes place on Saturday April 1st at La SAT and will feature Mateo Murphy. Also: Robert Owens at Parking on Sunday!


Later On

March:
31 – Eloi Brunelle album launch @ La SAT
31 – John Creamer @ Circus

April:
01 – Mateo Murphy, Jordan Dare & Bliss @ La SAT (Voyeur)
02 – Robert Owens @ Parking (Perfect Sundays)
08 – Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ Metropolis
09 – Piknik Electronik à Tremblant w/Eloi Brunelle & Frivolous
13 – Jordan Dare @ Parking (Overdose)
14 – Sean Kosa, Bender & Philgood @ Stereo
15 – A Touch of Class @ La SAT (I Love Neon)
16 – DJ Unknown, Bender & Kosa @ Balroom (No Excuse)
16 – Tommie Sunshine @ Stereo (double-bill w/Balroom)
19 – Ladytron @ Club Soda
22 – Sander Kleinenberg @ Stereo
27 – Laurent Garnier @ Parking (Overdose)
29 – Cabane à Sucre Electronik

May:
06 – Tiga @ La SAT (I Love Neon)
12 – MSTRKRFT @ La SAT (Voyeur)
20 – Headman @ ? (I Love Neon)

June:
29 – The Hacker @ Parking (Overdose)


Until next week: Keep the fire burnin' !

From Norway to Montreal in One Night

Annie. The name is simple, easy to remember, and evocative. There has been numerous Annies in pop music's history, and they all needed a last name. But not Anne Lilia Berge-Strand.

Based in Bergen, Norway, with neighbors such as Ralph Myers, the Kings of Convenience and Royksöpp, she first made a splash with her "Greatest Hit" single in '99, a song that was featured on a Touch of Class mix, and was later remixed by Belgium's pop maestros Freeform Five. Since her album "Anniemal" came out in 2004, featuring collabs with producers like Royksöpp and Richard X (most notably on "Chewing Gum", a monster single), Annie has been releasing hits at a solid rate and touring non stop.

There is something sweet and cute about her, and she really is the kind of girl you'd like to take to your mother : blonde, good looking, and able to write some unforgettable vocal hooks ! There are numerous rumours going around, mostly about her sexual orientation, but frankly, we couldn't care less; she's out of reach anyway !



Her songs have been remixed by Mylo, Headman, Maurice Fulton, Alan Braxe, Joakim, Patrick Wolfe, Riton, The Scumfrog, and Lindstrom & Prins Thomas. Pretty impressive for singles out of a first album.

She apparently has a superstar status in her native Norway, and also DJ's as a past time. She released a rather eclectic DJ Kicks on K7 in 2005, and has started touring again to promote her new single "Crush".



Last time she was in town she played at Théâtre St-Hubert, she plays @ Lambi tonight (4465 St-Laurent) and it's a rare chance to see her up close & personal, since the club is pretty small.

Will you marry me, Annie?

Secousses Sismic

The first time I heard Fat Phase's "It's Magic" remixed by Kiko, I froze. My whole body totally rigid, mouth open, I can't remember if I drooled but I must have. Having one of the best build-up ever heard by man, the remix had all it took to become a classic : staccato hi-hats, echoing drums, an incredible bassline and some memorable italo samples posing as vocals, whereas the original song had none. I bought the 12" straight away, and played it in my living room while impatiently awaiting to hear it in a club. That has happened a few times since then. The label behind this fine achievement is called Sismic.

You've heard the hits but they're discreet; they launched "Brick" by Eighty5 as their 8th release, the second one was Fat Phase's "It's Magic" (later released on the UK's Misdemeanour with a Lottie + Serge Santiago remix) and it had a killer b-side : "Mateo". They have released an amazing Scisor Sisters bootleg (It Can't Come Quickly Enough) and Fat Phase's "Don't be Shy". Recently, artists such as Da Fresh, Moonbootica and Ernest St-Laurent have signed remixes for their tracks.



Among their roaster of artists if French Toucher Patrick Alavi, and Crosstown Rebels chap David K. Together, they push for a very 80's synth sound with a modern edge and production. It's as if Patrick Cowley was let lose in Get Physical Music's studios...



Based in Paris, France, the label is the brainchild of Fat Phase's Olivier Huguenard, who launched it in May 2002, along with the hot season, like a breath of fresh air. He has succeeded, to this day, to bring nice sounding releases and artists on a regular basis, on vinyl only, and will soon launch his 17th twelve inch.

And this release will kick ass : Zygomatik's "I Love my Atari" 12" will feature a remix by Oliver Koletzki. For those who have heard what a track can become after he re-assembles it, you know you can set your expectations kinda high.

Go check out Sismic Music now, or else...

Ellen Allien @ Parking + Week-End Review

Ellen Allien was the guest of honor at last Thursday's Overdose night. This flyer should provide sufficient proof:


Parking is always ridiculously overcrowded when out-of-town DJs swing by and last Thursday was no exception to the rule, making it difficult once again to fully appreciate the visiting DJ's set.

Then again, it's no big secret that Parking is not exactly there for those looking for a grand musical experience. Parking is however the best place in the world to get completely trashed at, which explains why the only song I'm absolutely certain Ellen played is Uffie's "Ready to Uff". From what I can recall her set was pretty good overall, although I didn't really have a chance to "get into it", on account on the reason mentioned above.


Afterwards I ended up visiting Circus. The place was far from packed but still hosted a decent number of patrons. The thing is the temperature dropped during the night and they kept the giant fans going anyway, which made it a bit too chilly for many. A lot of people ended up retreating from the dance floor or staying in the hip hop room simply because it was a bit hotter in there.

David Laguer was deejaying in the main room and his set was very good once again. His selection ranged from soulful, tribal and electro-infused house, often with vocals and phat analog basslines. The guy definitely has an ear for solid productions and his beats, however commercial you may find them, never sound flat and always remain involving and dynamic.

On Friday, winter came back in town to fuck up my Chi. I was invited to Aria and I decided to comply and check the place out despite the frigorific temperature. Partygoers showed up in decent numbers but it was just impossible to warm up the big room and the cold temperature seeped in all night long until it was terminally cold near closing time. On the plus side, Nick Pillon and Kal both gave pretty good set. The more I hear Kal the more I like him, and his set last Friday was definitely an incentive to check him out again soon.

Oh – and they're now selling fruit salad and other munchables in the main room: finally, my prayers have been answered and we now have an alternative to Red Bull to keep us going ! Great!

Hope winter dies before we do, 'cause dancing out of a need for warmth ain't always fun.

Hot Chip + Cadence Weapon @ Lambi

On March 14th, at Lambi, some eagerly awaited guests were performing.


The UK's HOT CHIP were in town, and some thick and sticky snow came down to greet them.

We entered the club around 10:30 and nobody was on, the place was half empty and it took AGES to get our coats checked. (I think that Lambi can safely compete in the "slowest coat check" category... and win. There's one guy, he's awfully un-hurried, really cold to guys and nice to chicks, and he sweats like crazy. Go figure.)

Born Ruffians, three guys from Toronto - and actually quite a good band - soon took over the stage. Not too many people were dancing, but the music was great - nice hooks, hand claps, entertaining riffs, and the guys were all pretty thin & tall. Then came Cadence Weapon, a hip hop act that really didn't get me going. To be honest, I was next door eating shish taouk when they began their set, and I was only back for the last few songs, but their simplistic structures, pre-schoolish melodies, and probably-stolen-or-sampled instrumentations left me quite cold. The DJ was scratching the night away, and that was OK, but otherwise, I got bored big time.

The Wandworth, UK, band Hot Chip knew how to wake me up. I'm not too familiar with their material - been listening to their COMING ON STRONG album for a few months, and I just got their new THE WARNING last week - but I know the hit singles : Just Like We (Breakdown) has been remixed to great effect by the DFA - with an overpowered emotional effect - and Over & Over has even been included, remixed by Naum Gabo of course, in Felix da Housecat's set when he played Aria last week.



Unfortunately, Hot Chip's drummer wasn't there - I don't know if he's absent from the whole North American tour or if he only missed our city - so they had to rely on drum patterns that were often piercing our ears, being incredibly loud. That meant that the songs were more dancy, but it also meant that they didn't play for very long. Just Like We (Breakdown) was nowhere to be heard, and it almost broke my heart. But yet - something was pleasing and a kinda warmth could be felt from the Hot Chips. Even if singer Alexis Taylor is about 5 feet tall, he has such a powerful and melodic voice, and the band's legendary tightness made it all worthwile.



Future pop is just that - a mix of various styles and influences all expertly blended into a flux that's "Coming on Strong" from every direction. Hot Chip is personal and public, pop and unpop, and is everything but boring. Don't miss 'em next time they're in town - they'll be big.

Hot Chip's web site can be found here.

Night Vision 1.04

Well folks, I'm sad to announce that we're both sick. Too much partying? Hardly, as we're simply unstoppable, and you'll have ample proof this week when we show up at Parking for Ellen Allien's gig. In the meantime we both have several texts in the works and once we get our heads straight we'll finish them!

Apart from that it's been a great week: last Friday, Audion, Pheek & Mateo destroyed La SAT and Felix Da Housecat simply blew the roof off the Aria. It's also been a week full of surprises with I Love Neon announcing several upcoming events, plus it looks like The Hacker will be visiting Parking at the end of June. We've even got some exclusive news to reveal but alas now is not the time. Stay tuned!

So, what's going on this week?

Thursday 16/03
Ellen Allien's gig at Parking, for DJ Mini's Overdose night, retains all our attention this Thursday. There's quite a 'buzz' surrounding this appearance by Miss BPitch Control so I suggest you get there early. She's apparently scheduled to start her set at Midnight!

For those wishing to keep on partying, check out David Laguer at Circus across the street. I "accidentally" caught his DJ act last month and I was blown away by the solid house set the guy dropped on poor unsuspecting me. Let's see if I keep being amazed.


Friday 17/03
Nothing's going on this friday. Take a break, stay home and relax or go check out Aja's The Hills Have Eyes at your local UltraMegaCineplex.


Saturday 18/03
DJ Dan and Lee Burridge visit Aria for a promising double-bill. Miguel Graça opens.


Sunday 19/03
It might be called No Excuse but somehow I always find an excuse not to go and that's simply not acceptable. Visit Bender & Sean Kosa for me at Balroom every Sunday night for some grand electro beats in a comfortable setting.


Monday 20/03
It's time to suffer yet another inescapable Death by Ice Cream with Emmanuelle & co at Vinyl. Uh, that's supposed to sound like you should go.


Tuesday 21/03
Vincent Lemieux & MightyKat get Dizzy at Salon Daome.


Wednesday 22/03
Wonderful Annie visits Club Lambi, once again in the middle of the week. Who books these gigs?


Next Week
The Glimmers invade La SAT on the 23rd, and Mateo Murphy takes over Salle Belle-Gueule on the 25th.


Later On
A Touch of Class @ La SAT (15/04), Derrick Carter @ Club 1234 (29/03), Eloi Brunelle album launch party @ La SAT (31/03), John Creamer @ Circus (31/03), I Love Neon/Tiga's Sexor album launch party (06/05), Ladytron @ Club Soda (19/4), Laurent Garnier @ Parking (27/04), Sander Kleinenberg @ Stereo (22/4), The Hacker @ Parking (29/06), Voyeur 03 w/Mateo Murphy @ La SAT (01/04), Voyeur 04 w/MSTRKRFT @ La SAT (12/05)


Until next week: Keep the fire burnin' !

Matthew Dear + Pheek & Mateo Murphy @ La SAT

Last Friday's Matthew Dear gig at La SAT kept its promises: a night of fiery techno beats propagated by underground artists, with a lot of knob turning going on and insane visuals and loud beats and lots of people and sweat and drinking and probably drug use and cross-dressing too.

As Phil Collins would say: "But, Seriously… Here's a flyer" (I'm adding the "Here's a flyer" part, since I doubt ol' Buster ever handed out flyers himself – bet that was Peter "Sledgehammer" Gabriel's job… "Sledgehammer" wasn't such a bad song… It's kinda catchy… On to that flyer then).


"Dear", get it?

We missed Jon Schmidt, so no picture of Jon Schmidt. But here's an artist's rendition of what he might look like:

Pheek and Mateo Murphy handed out some righteous techno beats for a while.


Witness Pheek's giant laptop.


Matthew Dear was concentrated and discreet (like Matthew Dear). He was NOT sexual and aggro (like Audion).

Nevertheless, fun was had by all, and then we left.

Whee!

If DiskHo ever have a regular night they should call it DiskHo Not Disco.

Miss Kittin Bugs Out

Born out of the ashes of React, the UK label Resist Music is known for their high quality DJ mixes, including the Bugged Out and Suck My Deck! series. Felix Da Housecat, Erol Alkan, and now Miss Kittin, have all crafted Bugged Out Mixes, and MU are scheduled to continue the series. The current format adopted by the Bugged Out line proposes a contemporary club-oriented CD backed with another disc that takes us into the depths of the featured DJ's record collection.


So, aside from getting screwed out of a decent album cover, what did Caroline Hervé do with her Bugged Out mix?

On her first disc, titled Perfect Night, Miss Kittin mixes noisy breaks, techno and surprisingly vintage-sounding electro (think Gigolo circa-2001). Featured on the disc are: Misc, My My, Adam Beyer, Fixmer & McCarthy, Modeselektor and Front 242, to name just a few.

The second CD, Perfect Day, proposes subtler minimal tracks, often featuring breakbeats, and rapidly heads into a downtempo avenue with trip-hop and hip hop infused picks, and ends with a few floaty numbers. Her selection ranges from Curve, Monolake and Jay Haze to Saint Etienne, Villalobos and Twine.

While there are some good tracks on both discs enduring the whole ordeal can be a tiring affair. The club CD is not bad but is far from being spectacular, with an overall selection that hardly seem relevant by 2006 standards. The second disc is, quite frankly, boring. Noticeably absent from both discs are any of MK's own productions.

Once again, Miss Kittin proposes mixes destined to line CD towers and never get listened to. Pick up her Live at Sonar CD instead, which is quite a fun listen.

Check out Miss Kittin and Resist Music on the web. LetNoManJack's got a fantasgreat review of MK's Live At Sonar CD.

Felix Da Housecat, Mini & G O'Brien @ Aria

Only a few weeks after Loco Dice's outstanding appearance at Aria, the Montréal afterhour club welcomed Felix Da Housecat last Friday for another great night of partying.


The Rue Saint-Denis venue welcomed a mixed crowd of partygoers and Aria regulars, creating an exceptional ambiance. A warm party vibe spread thru the crowd like wildfire from the first notes of Mini's opening set to the last of G O'Brien's. But on to the main course…

Some will argue that Felix is not the smoothest deejay on the planet. That may be true, but one cannot deny his unequalled instinct: the guy will play anything, and always at the right moment. It can be quite disconcerting at times, as going from rock to minimal in just a few minutes can be a bit strange, but one has to trust Da Housecat and just go along for the rocket ride.

Rock, house, electro, techno, minimal, disco – whatever he feels like playing - if it's good, well, it's good. Enjoy it, 'cause we only get too few evenings like this one.

Felix started his set with "Jack U", his classic collaboration with P. Diddy and followed it with another of his own productions, the Adult remix of "Silver Screen Shower Scene" featuring Miss Kittin's lovely vocals. A nice start, as if Da Housecat intentionally decided to shove his own tracks out of the way, giving himself the freedom to take his set in any direction.

Here's a shortlist of just a few of his other picks:

A few tracks from Soulwax's Nite Versions ("NY Lipps", "Miserable Girl" & "Krack"), 3 Depeche Mode remixes ("The Pain That I'm Used To", "Precious" and "Enjoy the Silence"), Hot Chip's "Over & Over", the original versions of Nirvana's "Lithium" and Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People", The white label cut of Prince's "Controversy", The Tiga remix of LCD Soundsystem's "Tribulations", The Rolling Stones' "Emotional Rescue" (the same version Tiga plays, off a 2004 white label I think), Underworld's "Born Slippy", Ame's "Rej", The Sebastian Ingrosso remix of Dronez vs Metallica's "Dancin", the James Holden (or Martinez? – don't remember) remix of Nathan Fake's "The Sky Was Pink" and the Vitalic remix of Miss Kittin & The Hacker's "1982", as well as the original version of "Frank Sinatra".

The most shocking track he played was definitely Marilyn Manson's classic mid-90s hit "The Beautiful People": such an unexpected song to hear in an afterhour club. Frankly, it was a disturbing experience, not so much because the song might've felt out of place but because the fact that Felix played it in a set full of RETRO songs might've made just a few of us feel a bit old. The 90's are over, but is it already time to start preparing for a 90's revival?

Whatever the case may be Felix delivered the goods in ample quantity. We never have enough of these wonderful parties, and last Friday was unquestionably a night to remember. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Aria gained a few regulars out of Montréal's electro crowd. People were expecting a lot, and that's exactly what they got out of Da Housecat: a memorable performance from the Chicago deejay that helped define the sound of the early millennium, and who promises to keep things interesting for years to come.

Felix Da Housecat and Aria are on the web.

Dirty Dancing

Dirty Dancing is, first and foremost, a Brussels club.


Every Saturday, they hold an event and, more often than not, they have big names performing, the kind of names that make me turn green from jealousy; over the coming weeks, they're going to welcome Undo (March 11th), Digitalism (March 18th) and Tiefschwarz (March 25th). You get the idea. Taking a look at the list of past guests they've had makes my stomach turn upside down. It might sound surprising that such a big room is dedicated to the finest electro music, but remember folks, this is Europe...

Their flyers are breathtaking and something really seems to be going on there. So much that, in January '05, the resident's team along with the management decided to launch a label that would showcase the club's artists as well as be a business card for the sounds you can hear there.



And so was born Dirty Dancing Recordings. Their moto is simple : "Sois tendre avec ce disque, joue-le comme une brute". Their beginnings were kinda modest, but they're at their 10th release to this date, and don't seem to be on the verge of stopping.


Javelo released their "Higher Desire" EP with them just before Markus Lange (a Poketgame superstar, who's currently rocking out the dancefloors with his hit "My Girlfriend is a Robot") launched his "Strange Smile" track, which features remixes by Kiki and Kaos. Delon & Dalcan followed with their "Fatal Words" 12" and things are going quite well.

The sound they showcase is not constant; they still allow their artists some room to play, and it can be interesting on many levels. Meaning that... you never know what to expect when you pick up one of their shit hot vinyls.

They just released Muskat Nuss' "Misteek Drive", a track that, with a remix by Sweet Light, may very well establish them even more firmly in any no-nonsense DJ's chart. And some local clubs should take note that an adventure like this can come true, even with a shrinking vinyl market. In the end, it's all a matter of marketing logic : if we do not produce, release and showcase quality vinyls, the buyers will dry down, and the medium will slowly die. And nobody wants that to happen.

Click the links to find out more about Dirty Dancing and Dirty Dancing Records.

Night Vision 1.03

Co-written with Clifford Brown

Hang in there, winter's almost over. You can almost feel the snow melting at the same speed that my heart is melting every time I hear Frau Rabid's voice blaring through my stereo. Ice will start falling off roofs and on your heads, so if you already know you'll turn mad when your brain cells are crushed, why not indulge in life's sweet pleasures right away and burn what's left of your neurons yourself ? There are many ways to do it over the coming week-end...

Thursday 09/03
DJ Mini's Overdose at Parking is the default choice on every Thursday night, and you should already know it!


Friday 10/03
Big night! Matthew Dear will be appearing as Audion at La SAT, alongside Pheek (w/Mateo Murphy) and Boston's Jon Schmidt. The party continues at Aria where Felix Da Housecat will rock the night away. Mini opens; G O'Brien closes. Dunno who among you can last until closing time, so let's launch a contest : the last one to go wins a whole Saturday of drool on his / her chin.


Saturday 11/03
The Sisters of Mercy are in town, and I'm not even kidding. Apparently, original band member Dr Avalanche will be there. Oh - and Andrew Eldritch too.

Laïka celebrates its 7th anniversary at La SAT with live sets from Frivolous and Deadbeat, plus many others. Expect some munchy minimal sounds and hi-hats to make your ears bleed. Oh, and some black glasses and turtlenecks, and scruffy beards as well.

On the more degenerate side, Shake Off will take place at 3816 St-Laurent and if you like decadent house parties with dirty electro and even dirtier girls, that's the place to be. For a full briefing, see one of our previous posts right here.

On the afterhour front, Maus and Marco G should offer some nice grooves at Aria from 2am onwards.


Sunday 12/03
Bender & Sean Kosa's No Excuse night at Balroom welcomes special guest Jordan Dare once again. Avis aux intéressé(e)s, this should be rockin'.


Monday 13/03
Death By Ice Cream Mondays at Vinyl! I was beginning to worry this wasn't going on anymore until I saw a new flyer for it. Emmanuelle on a Monday night: not bad at all.


Tuesday 14/03
Flavor of the month turned flavor of the year Hot Chip, with Cadence Weapon at Club Lambi promise a great night of fun. Hot Chip's new CD is awesome, so I definitely recommend checkin' these guys out (and letting me know how it was since I won't be able to attend!).


Next Week
Thursday, Ellen Allien will be the guest of honor at DJ Mini's Overdose night at Parking. On Saturday Aria proposes a double-bill with DJ Dan & Lee Burridge. Annie will be at Club Lambi on Wednesday the 22nd .


Later On
Annie @ Club Lambi (22/03), A Touch of Class @ La SAT (15/04), Derrick Carter @ Club 1234 (29/03), Eloi Brunelle album launch party @ La SAT (31/03), John Creamer @ Circus (31/03), I Love Neon/Tiga's Sexor album launch party (06/05), Ladytron @ Club Soda (19/4), Laurent Garnier @ Parking (27/04), Sander Kleinenberg @ Stereo (22/4), The Glimmers @ La SAT (23/3), Voyeur 03 w/Mateo Murphy @ La SAT (01/04), Voyeur 04 w/MSTRKRFT @ La SAT (12/05)


Until next week: Keep the fire burnin' !

Audion: Your Place or Mine ?

Adopted Detroit resident Matthew Dear will be visiting Montréal this coming Friday. His 2003 album Leave Luck to Heaven was very well received both by the music press and fans of minimal electronic music alike. The follow-up EP Backstroke did very well also, helping to consolidate Dear's presence on the American and worldwide electronic scene. Being named "Artist of the Year" by XLR8R might've helped a bit.


However you may think you feel about Dear's minimal records you're in for a shock if you've never heard him as Audion: a different beast altogether, one that traded its touchy-feely/low-key rainbow of textures for the unholy hammers of hydraulic-pressed techno and the collapsing grinds of metal-fatigued synth lines. Plus: it's all about fucking, as exemplified by Audion's 2005 full-length debut Suckfish, a brill piece of a techno records if there's one out there.

So, let's have a look back at Suckfish while we wait for Friday's Audion appearance at La SAT.

Audion's Suckfish
Suckfish is something dark, its songs like abandoned snapshots taken during an evening of unrestrained debauchery that hardly make sense the morning after. Taken during an ethylic black-out, these pictures are infused with paranoia and a forgotten sense of purpose that was exclusive to each of these frozen moments.

Did damaged girls move their body lasciviously on the dance floor? Did lust seep in slowly like a disease? Did grins slowly replace empty stares as chemicals started dragging couch-wrecked corpses out of their respective comas? Was that basement badly lit, with sweat on the walls? How long did it take for the coked-up DJ's hand gestures to sync up to the music?

Things were stopped at that point where desires ruled, well after conviction, religion and common sense had been executed on the town square. A blood-shot blur, except for those eleven Polaroid's lining the gritty tiles of the bathroom you woke up in, naked and handcuffed to the sink. The greenish neon light is buzzing, there's a distinct smell of vomit and alcohol - a broken bottle of Moskovskaya – and the smell of sweat not your own, not to mention the headache. You don't remember much except that it was worth it.


Suckfish features some of the best evocative moods since the heydays of experimental industrial music, complimented with solid production that emphasizes its disjointed sonorities. Matthew Dear clearly has a firm grasp of the impact of ever-intensifying sounds and the hypnotic effects the repetition of apparently simple structures can have. And if Suckfish's music isn't evocative enough for you then its song titles should clarify its point: "Your Place or Mine", "Titty Fuck", "Just Fucking", etc.

The mostly instrumental album grinds its factory built synth lines thru a ripe field of techno beats demanding for just such violation. It's an insane ride thru pulsating 4/4 rhythms and screeching noises, with a few distorted vocals thrown in for good measure, that leave little – or rather a lot – to imagination.

The album is not without texture, and perhaps it is even one of its more subtle strengths, enabling it to work as an album and flow through its calmer moments. However, Suckfish really shines when Dear kicks the Audion machine into high gear, delivering his unique brand of hectic, pulsating techno at full steam, the sheer insanity of it all a desperate plea to derail the human machine into an abyss of sinful pleasures.

Perhaps that's what Suckfish is all about: the experience of crashing headfirst into another human being for those few precious moments that you will never get back and never be able to reproduce. Was it worth it? Do you feel satisfied? It doesn't seem to matter at all when you're right there, letting it happen, living it. And Suckfish is like that – a subversive series of instrumentals that'S not pretentious enough to let its purpose be known through lyrics or even clearly defined, but it is a piece that brings you to that place where you'd be likely to let anything happen just for the hell of it. Or at least wonder how things could've gone.


Matthew Dear's next record as Audion will be his entry into the prestigious Fabric series, volume 27 to be exact, scheduled for release in April. I'm not sure exactly how this DJ mix differs from what he would've produced had he chosen to simply use the name "Matthew Dear" since his Fabric mix is quite the minimal affair anyway (More on that subject in an upcoming topic). Also be on the lookout for an Audion/Ellen Allien split 12" due out in May.

Diskho is bringing Audion to Montréal on Friday March 10 at La SAT.

What Would a House Party Be Without House ?

Ever been invited to a house party to some stranger's place, walked the street not sure about the address, heard some pounding BPM's and shouts coming from behind a door, ventured in and saw what turned out to be a full-on fiesta with a DJ right in the fuckin' living room ? I don't see house parties any other way.

Most people planning a celebration overlook the musical aspect, relegate it to the background or worse, let their guests choose the CD's that will play, which always turn into a never-ending drunk's argument over some nostalgia-inducing bad commercial rock. People do not think of inviting a DJ because they're afraid. Afraid of what ? That the guy might be a tyran. That he might not take special requests. That he might take up all the space, or even suck.

The appartment might be the party's body, but the music is its soul. And a body with no soul... is a zombie, a corpse, a braindead partygoer passed out on the couch with his own puke all over his hawaïan shirt.

I personally have been DJ'ing for about four years now, and most of the best nights I remember weren't in clubs, they were at friend's places, or at stranger's places, for that matters. Because yes, I will most certainly answer positively to any invitation to DJ, even when I don't know anybody. House parties are like the missing link of the scene; no security, no door policy, no closing time, and no ridiculously high prices for the drinks. There are pros & cons, of course, because unfortunately not everybody was educated well enough by their mother, but most of the time it's a bloody good time, until the cops show up to stop the party, of course.



On March 11th, there will be no such thing as cops at the door. I am DJ'ing at a party called SHAKE OFF, at 3816 St-Laurent, above the Inbeat store. It's Yafi's birthday bash, and if you know the guy, you know things will be deep & down. A guy called Ydroman is breaking the ice from 10 to midnight, Yafi then takes over until 2 AM, and yours truly is on until 4, after which Mekanik will rock things out until the morning comes.

If you've been to this place before, you know what to expect : good times. The sound system is always amazing, and so are the partygoers. The party, in the good old spirit, is free, and you are expected to bring your own booze and your warm smile - and be ready to burn a hole in the dancefloor with your snakeskin mocassins !!

My Drunken Week-End in Review

Been there, done that :

Thursday night was a good night to eat waffles & drink bad coffee in a cheap joint next to the Belle Province, on the corner of St-Laurent & Ste-Catherine. Formerly known as the prostitutes haven Dunkin' Donuts we'd spend time at when we missed our night bus, coming out of Foufs in the mid-90's, the place has a new name now, and serves bad capuccinos. Spelling mistakes can be found all over the menu on the wall, with gems like "Gaufre Hawayenne" or "Gaufre au Poulet Grillée".



Not so far from there, the S.A.T. was welcoming Cyan, Jan Pienkowski and the Robeat crew for a nice happy hour. There wasn't too many people when we got there sometime after 9, but the place filled up and patrons started dancing when we were about to leave. Nice music, and the Robeat guys were distributing a promo CD that's quite good. Get your kicks !



*

I have heard that the last installment of the Junglist Fridays at Blue Dog was pretty crazy. Didn't go, because I'm not into that scene too much, but some friends reporting for us told me that the place was packed and that they didn't remember their evening too clearly, thanks to the free flowing alcohol in their blood. After five years, I guess the party has to end at one point, and it ended with a bang.

*

On Saturday, I was looking forward to go to Voyeur 02 at S.A.T. and I invited some people over to my place for a preparatory fiesta. I had bought some vodka, just enough to get me & my girlfriend "confortably" drunk - in the zone where you find yourself after 3-4 drinks. Some people showed up with way too much booze and started offering shooters & extra drinks, and we lost some players along the way : a girl wasn't able to stand on her feet, and one puked the night away and decided not to enter the club once we got there.


I was in a strange daze myself, not able to remember all the details of the night. In fact, I think we entirely missed Romeo Kardec's birthday set, and I was able to find out that Kosa's set highly ressembled his set at Parking's Overdose a few weeks ago. I barely remember Jordan Dare's selection. I do fuckin' remember, tho, that the lightning guy went to take a piss for most of the evening, because it was so dark in there I could have wished I was taking a walk up your momma's ass. We left before the night was over and I can't even say if we even said goodbye to anybody.



I guess it was fun, but I'd like to have vivid technicolor memories of the event. Guess I'll have to look at the pictures I took and try to figure out what the hell happened.

Randall Jones, Creator & Maus @ Aria

A last minute addition to Aria's March booking, Randall Jones came to us from Philadelphia to deliver some house groove upon Montréal's Aria Afterhour crowd. But Randall Jones is not only a DJ, he's also a producer involved with Philly's Tigerhook Corp. He's also released tracks on his own, on labels such as Bedrock, Hooj, Saw & The End. In other words: a veteran, who's been DJing since '92.

So, how did Randall's big night in Montréal go?

First up was Aria resident Creator, who laid out a textured build up that eventually led to harder, tribal-infused tech house. Not exactly my cup of tea, but nevertheless it got the party started right.

Randall Jones came next with a middle-of-the-road tech house set – a little bit of everything, to please everyone. He wasn't boring, but he wasn't exciting either: good, but not spectacular. I'm glad I didn't pay more than the regular Saturday night cover to hear him play; otherwise I might've been disappointed. He did play Goldfrapp's "Ride a White Horse" (the François Kevorkian remix, if I'm not mistaken), which was the highlight of his set for me. Although I can't be sure since it was the first time I heard him, I had a feeling he was trying to play "harder" than he normally would've, perhaps to cater to Aria's demanding crowd.

Next up was DJ Maüs. Also a resident at Aria, she plainly and simply stole the show (as she often does). Maüs performed an amazing, intelligent yet easily approachable set, mostly in the harder range of her repertoire but nonetheless varied, ranging from minimal to techno, with a few drops of acid and, of course, just enough electro. We got to hear some cool tracks: Steve Bug's remix of Tiefschwarz "Fly" (which I don't believe I've heard played in Montréal before), as well as Donna Summer's "I Feel Love", Tiga's remix of Freeform Five's "Muscle Car", Who Made Who's "Rose" (a nice surprise!), Ame's excellent "Rej" track, and the Soulwax remix of Gorillaz's "Dare".

A strong party vibe that manages to break through Montréal's glacial early march weather is always appreciated. Although I wasn't "wowed" by Randall Jones, his set was quite alright, and Aria's residents definitely convinced everyone in attendance to boogie down. All in all not a bad evening, looking forward to many more at the Rue St-Denis venue.

Check out Aria's website here.

Mirror Balls & Booka Shade's

Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier have been recording music together as Booka Shade since the mid-90s. In 2002, with the assistance of DJ T and M.A.N.D.Y., they co-founded their own label, Get Physical Music, which has since grown by leaps and bound, gaining international attention along the way. Also on the label's roster: Chelonis R. Jones, Tomas Barfod and Zoo Brazil,

Let's have a look back at Booka Shade's first full-length, 2005's Memento and its upcoming follow up: Movements.

Memento: Friend for a Night?
After the inception of Get Physical Music, Booka Shade chose to stick to the side-lines for a while, producing other artists rather than releasing music of their own. There's nothing wrong with that, especially considering their amazing work on Chelonis R. Jones' Dislocated Genius and DJ T's Boogie Playground.

By 2005 however it was high time Booka Shade released an album of their own: something that we could sink our teeth into that would give us more than just a taste of what the duo was capable of. Booka Shade obliged and delivered an album called Memento. This first full-length, received vast acclaim from the start, and the Mandarine EP that followed drew even greater compliments.

It took me a while to get into Booka Shade's first LP. Frankly, I couldn't figure out what these German minimalists were out to do with it. I heard minimal house à la Steve Bug, but in some way it felt like IDM (however failing to reach the level of pretentiousness commonly associated with that genre). Still, one way or another I had to keep listening, perhaps expecting to find the authors at fault every time I gave Memento a listen. Even with a great set of remixes and an incredible offshoot EP (Mandarine), it seemed I just couldn't wrap my head around Memento. I was missing a piece of the puzzle, and it wasn't until I heard the album's music described as "nocturnal" that it started to make sense.

Booka Shade, while remaining mostly serious and all nocturnal-ish on Memento, had subtly managed to strip away all the intellectual pretension associated with minimal, leaving the listener with something intelligent and… disarming.

Disarming because it was so open, inviting and clearly begging to be listened to and enjoyed. I wouldn't go as far as saying the album is 'fun'. It's deep, it's thought-provoking, and it's involving: it's nocturnal.

"Friend for a Night", get it ?

So, is Memento the "bestest album ever in the whole wide world"? Maybe not, but it is a very good one that may take a while to grow on you but if you let it I guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised.


Movements: The Beats at the Window.
Walter & Arno kept busy since the release of Memento. "Body Language", their collaborative effort with label-mates M.A.N.D.Y., received the 2005 Ibiza DJ Award for "Track of the Season", and Get Physical was awarded the "2005 Label of the Year" by MixMag. Booka Shade also produced the Mandarine EP which generated the massive dancefloor hit "Mandarine Girl". They remixed The Chemical Brothers and The Juan Maclean, and toured with Royksöpp and Mylo.

How they found the energy to record their sophomore effort is beyond me. What I can tell you is that no matter where they found it you can definitely hear it on the record. The album is just plain catchy from the very beginning, never letting go of its listeners for a seconds until the very end.

Contrary to its predecessor, Movements is plain simple fun and not hard at all to get into. Booka Shade seem to have figured out where their strengths lie and decided to exploit them to their advantage. Perhaps that's why they opted to explore diverse sounds, at times mixing the catchiness of some of their production work (most notably the funkier approach featured on DJ T's Boogie Playground) with the textural explorations of their own releases.

But Movements is not only Memento's follow-up, it's also an album released in wake of two influential club hits. Versions of both these songs are included on Movements. Walter & Arno's take on "Body Language" is a marvelous affair that's every bit as poignant as the original, almost letting you wonder if the guys didn't just decide to take the song away from M.A.N.D.Y.'s arsenal, with the mischievous intention of imposing their vision of the song as the one we'll be remembering (Yes – it's that good). What's perhaps less interesting is the "album version" of "Mandarine Girl". Granted: not including the song on the album would've been sacrilege, but the reworked version featured here is simply not as moving as the original. However, it's a good uptempo adaptation that will definitely find a home on the dancefloor and be a welcome addition to any fan's CD library.

"Night Falls", the first single off the new album and "In White Rooms" are clearly the album's core tracks. Both draw on the success of "Mandarine Girl" and repackage that song's approach under new guises. "Paper Moon" and "The Birds & The Beats at The Window" go down DJ T avenue and propose a funkier, perhaps unexpected, side of Booka Shade to great effect. Bring on the funk, 'cause both of these songs just kick ass.

Other songs are playful (the childish melody-propelled "Pong Pang"), others reveal Walter & Arno penchant for IDM (Richard D. James would be proud of "Darko"), while yet others follow a recipe similar to their first effort (the nocturnal trio of "Hide & Seek in Geisha's Garden", "Take A Ride" & "Wasting Time"). The album is not without it's downer tracks, such as "Hallelujah USA" & "Lost High". Luckily, both of them appear at the end of the disc, leading the listener out of the beautiful audio soundscape created by Booka Shade.

Following Memento was a tough bill for Booka Shade, but Movements easily accomplishes the task. The German duo did not only craft an intelligent and evocative piece, they managed to make it catchy, funky, sleek and smart. Once again, Get Physical begins the year with style, and Booka Shade promise to amaze us again and again in 2006 - and beyond.

Find out more about Booka Shade on Get Physical's webite. You can hear the new version of "Body Language" on Occam's Razor.